The New Upgrade
by Ozlice101
Summary: Asuna found a new upgrade! The one thing she and Kirito weren't counting on, though, was a side effect. What is this side effect? Read and find out! Rated T for possible swearing later on.
1. Side Effects

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

"Kirito!" Asuna yelled as she ran towards her friend, evading crowds of people as she did so.

Said boy turned around just in time to see the girl slam into him. He stumbled backwards, barely managing to stay on his feet.

Asuna removed her face from his chest and looked up apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Kirito replied with a small smile. "So what's so important that you came barreling into me?" He asked with a small chuckle.

The brunette smirked. "I found a new upgrade for players. Someone created a power up that increases speed, agility, hearing, sight, and makes you stronger." She announced, head held high.

"Cool!" The teen exclaimed. An upgrade like that could really help with defeating the game they were stuck in. "Where can you get it?"

Asuna began pulling him down the street she'd just come from. "Just down here."

Following her lead, Kirito jogged through the town until they came across a small blacksmith shop. Compared to Lizbeth's shop, it was downright puny. The front of the building was so small, someone could miss it entirely as they walked by.

Regardless, he diligintely followed Asuna inside. Behind a tiny counter that looked more like a table stood a boy. The boy looked to be around 15, with midnight black hair and eyes. He wore a simple shirt and apron, both covered in dust.

When the duo walked inside he looked up, a pleased smile spreading across his cheeks. "So this is the guy you said you'd bring?" He guessed, his voice surprisingly low for his age.

"Yep." Asuna yipped excitedly as she pushed her friend up to the boy.

"Nice to meet you." The kid greeted as he held out a hand.

Kirito shook his hand and responded, "You too."

"So I heard you have some new upgrade?" Kirito questioned.

"Oh, yeah!" The child yelled excitedly as he ducked underneath the table, popping up seconds later holding a small box. "It's in here."

"Great." Said Kirito as he took the box and looked it over. "How much does it cost?"

"1,000,000 Cor."

"What!?" Kirito cried. That seemed severely overpriced. "Why so much!?"

"Because, it's a one of a kind item, and it's really valuable. I think i actually might have underpriced it..."

Terrified by the idea of having to spend more money than the already outrageous price, Kirito said quickly, "I'll take it." Immediately he pulled the required money out of his pocket.

The boy took the money and walked into a backroom, shooing the two teens out as he did so. Kirito and Asuna moved outside before they decided to see the upgrade.

Once outside Kirito opened the small box, revealing a small black charm sitting on top of a note. The note read, "The effects of the upgrade are perminint."

'That's fine with me' Kirito thought as he tapped the charm twice. Next to it a screen shown, asking him if he wanted to equip it. The teen pressed 'yes', causing the charm to disappear.

Asuna gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

"What?" Kirito questioned her, completely confused by her reaction.

Wordlessly Asuna removed a hand from her mouth to point at her friend's head.

Still confused, the raven-haired boy felt around his head for deformities. He froze when his hands found two fluffy cat ears.

Panicking, Kirito yelled, "How did that happen!?"

"I think it was the charm." Asuna said from behind her hand, mystified.

"This is not what I signed up for." The distressed boy whined as he looked behind himself, realizing he had a long matching black tail.

Despite the situation at hand, Asuna thought her friend looked kinda cute with cat ears and a tail. They suited him.

Through his on panicking, Kirito barely noticed when Asuna began laughing hysterically behind him. He wheeled around to look at her, demanding, "What's so funny!?"

"You're too cute." Asuna giggled.

Kirito's cheeks flushed a embarrassed light pink and his new ears flattened as he crossed his arms defiantly.

"I'm not cute." He muttered, eyes hard.

The brunette rolled her eyes good naturedly and turned to walk down the street. Her still flustered friend was quick to run after her, trying desperately to hide his ears and tail.

Eventually, the rustling noise he created by doing so irritated Asuna, giving her a tick mark as her eye twitched. An agrivated groan from Kirito broke her patience.

"Knock it off!" Asuna yelled as she abruptly stopped walking to pin the catboy's arms to his sides.

Kirito's ears pulled back in shock, alarmed by her sudden outburst. "B-bu-"

"No buts!" The angry girl growled, clearly putting an end to the conversation. Without another word she began walking again.

A subdued Kirito slinked along behind her, afraid to upset her again. Memories from the past of her trying to kill him weren't pleasant. Reliving them wasn't exactly something he wanted to do.

Suddenly, the raven-haired boy realized he was severely tired. A glance at the sky informed him that it was late evening, bordering dusk.

"Hey, Asuna?" Kirito called, his voice ending in a long yawn.

"What?" Asuna asked as she turned around to look at him, her voice still a bit heated from earlier.

"I'm tired. Can we go home?" He yawned again, proving his point.

His partner huffed, hands on hips. "Are you seriously that tired?" She asked, not believing his words.

Kirito nodded, eyes half open.

"Fine." Asuna sighed. She pulled out a teleport crystal, taking them both to their condo.

Without even bothering to unequip his armor and swords, Kirito fell onto his bed, almost immediately passing out.

Once again Asuna rolled her eyes at his antics. She unequipped her own armor and weapon before climbing into the bed next to his.

"Night." She whispered just before she drifted off.

 _ **Yay, finished! Hoped you guys liked the first chapter, the second is almost done! Review please!**_


	2. Everyone Knows

_**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**_

 **Alright guys, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long...the next chapter should be out soon.**

*knock Knock Knock* "Kirito! Asuna!"

Kirito rolled over on his bed, trying to rid his head of the horrible, nagging voice. Once again came the knocking, followed by his and Asuna's names being called. He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Klien, go away." Kirito whined, his voice muffled by the pillow.

To his dismay, he heard the bed next to him creek as Asuna got up to answer the door. 'No...' he thought. He didn't want Klien to see him right now. Not with the upgrade equipped.

The door opened, followed by a hello from Kirito's friend. A second later the door closed with a bang, causing Kirito to slightly jump. Then footsteps.

And they were coming in his direction.

"So Asuna, where Kirito?" Klien questioned, glancing around the house for his friend.

"Still sleeping." Asuna answered, stepping into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Klien nodded in thanks before setting out to find the bedroom. Sadly for Kirito, it didn't take him very long.

"Hey Kirito!" Yelled the red-head, waving at the boy under the covers and smiling.

Said boy groaned, refusing to remove the pillow from his face.

Klien sat down on Asuna's bed, his smile disapearing. "What's the matter? You sick or something?" He wondered, concern evident in his voice.

"No." Kirito replied.

"Then why are you hiding behind a pillow?" Klien asked as he leaned forward to take the thing from him.

Kirito's grip on the material tightened. He ever so slightly scooted away from Klien. Even his position dared the red-head to try it again.

A smirk appeared on Klien's face. "I'll get Asuna to force you out of bed." He threatened.

"Go ahead."

Klien shrugged, surprised that he was okay with it. Nevertheless, he got up to find the cook.

'Damn it!' Kirito yelled at himself in his mind as he heard his friend walk out. 'I thought he was bluffing!'

His self regret was short lived, because seconds later his partner ripped the pillow out of his grasp with no kind of warning whatsoever.

"Get out of bed you lazy couch potatoe!" Asuna growled as she smacked him on the chest with the pillow.

Kirito's cat ears lowered. "Yeash. You don't need to be rude." He said as he sat up.

Asuna glared down at him. "What did you say?" She demanded, holding the pillow threateningly above her head.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Kirito cried, holding his hands up.

"That's what I thought." Asuna muttered as she dropped the weapon and went back to the kitchen.

The raven-haired boy sighed in relief. He turned to Klien, who was laughing his head off, pointing at his friend.

"Hey!" Kirito protested, his cheeks glowing a light shade of pink, his ears glueing themselves to the side of his head.

"Dude!" Klien managed to say in between fits of laughter. "You have cat ears!"

Kirito's tail swished anxiously behind him, adding to Klien's laughter.

"Knock it off!" Yelled the distressed catboy as he punched his friend in the face, acquiring a tick mark in the process. He stood up, leering over the other, tail twitching spatically.

"Ow." Whined the red-head, holding his nose. "That hurt."

"Stop laughing at me!" Kirito yelled, balling his fists up for another go.

Klien held his hands up. "Dude, calm down. I didn't mean it." He apologized, ready for the beat down of his life.

"Breakfast!" Asuna suddenly called from the kitchen, interrupting their fight.

Klien took that as an excuse to escape the angered fighter, and tried to ignore the murderous glare Kirito was giving him when they sat at the dining room table, hoping that he wouldn't get punched with the boy's partner next to them.

Asuna placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of the boys, sitting down next to them with her own. Klien and Asuna began to eat their food, the complete opposite of what Kirito was doing. He was still plotting the many ways to murder Klien, finding each of them too humane.

Luckily Asuna noticed after a moment, and moved her head in between him and his friend. "Kirito, stop glowering." She commanded sternly.

"He made fun of my ears." Kirito growled back, refusing to back down. He rested his face on a fist, now glaring at his partner instead of Klien.

"I don't care what he did. Get over it." Asuna sat back down in her seat, and with that the argument was over.

Kirito huffed and reluctantly turned his attention to the food she'd cooked him. Get over it! Easier said than done when the entire population of SAO was soon to be mocking him.

The raven-haired boy finished his food and brought his plate to the sink where he began washing the dishes. Once done, he moved to the living room where Asuna was sitting and patiently waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" Asuna asked, standing up to make her way to the door.

"Not really." Kirito replied, his ears lowering.

Asuna walked up to her friend and sighed. "You're such a crybaby." She said as she began rearranging his hair to hide his ears.

Not expecting the sudden touch, Kirito jumped when she pulled his ears down. "Hey!" He cried in protest, holding his hands over the sensitive lobes.

"Do you want everyone to see them or not?" The brunette questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

The catboy sighed and removed his hands from his head. Within minutes Asuna made the ears disappear, and no one would have ever known they were there.

"Done." She announced, pulling back once she was done.

"Thanks." Kirito said dully. "What about the tail?" He asked, said tail swaying once behind himself.

"Do I have to do everything for you?" Asuna grabbed the black furred object near the base and wrapped it around his hips like a belt.

Once again, Kirito jumped and the unexpected contact and flushed a light pink. "Warn me next time before you do that." He whined, shifting in place uncomfortably.

"Fine. Come on." Asuna said as she walked out the door.

Her friend followed, and when outside the duo warped to the 50th floor. They set out for the location of the boss; there was going to be a strategy meeting before they charged it. Luckily they made it just in time for the meeting to begin.

An hour later, they were all ready to take down the boss. The group of 100 players crowded around the entryway. The signal was given, and everyone charged; Kirito and Asuna leading.

The boss was a huge wolf; at least the size of Asuna and Kirito's condo. It's white fur coat blended in with the walls surrounding it and it's blood red eyes glowed menacingly. It's mouth occupied several rows of dagger like canines, each the size of a broadsword.

Half the players swarmed it from the front and sides, while the other half attacked from behind. Asuna darted all over the place, acting as a distraction; and she did her job well. An occasional jab at the boss kept it occupied and angry.

Using his newfound speed obtained from his upgrade, Kirito rushed the beast's rear, his sword glowing yellow as he readied a sword skill. He leapt into the air landing a solid blow to the wolf's back.

The wolf bucked and howled, attempting to shake off the fighter as he held on to his sword that was deeply embedded into the monster. Kirito pulled his sword out of the boss and ran up it's body to the head, slicing it in the eye.

The albino creature screeched in pain, the pitch high enough to break glass. Everyone cringed from the horrible noise, but the one who took it worst was a certain teen. When the sound reached Kirito's ears he immediately stopped attacking to cover his cat ears. The voice of the monster rendered the boy helpless as he fell to the ground, writhing around and screaming in pain on the cold surface.

Asuna heard him connect with the floor and stopped her task to run to him. She knelt next to his head and gently cradled it. "Are you okay?!" She yelled over the noise of the room, deeply concerned for her friend. A quick glance at his health bar revealed that it had dropped to 3/4.

Her question only seemed to put him in more pain as his face contorted with the emotion. Torn between helping him and fighting, Asuna dragged him to a corner of the room and ran to help the others.

Asuna left her previous assignment to Klien, taking up Kirito's position as a front line fighter. The wolf charged her, biting forward with its strong jaws. The brunette jumped out of the way, carving a line through it's forehead upon landing.

The beast, now half alive, paused for a sliver of a second, giving just enough time for someone to get a good amount of licks in before it was back on guard.

A green glow enveloped Asuna'a sword as she jabbed it several times at the wolf, completely depleting it's health bar and causing it to explode into millions of data fragments.

Asuna stood and sheathed her sword, surveying the scene of the boss room. Luckily, this time it didn't look like many people died. Her eyes stopped on Kirito, who was still holding onto his ears for dear life.

Her worry returning, Asuna ran over to him and kneeled in front of him. She gently pried his hands away from his head, revealing his blood matted hair and ears. The boy's partner swiftly pulled out some gauze and wrapped the wound tightly, the white material instantly becoming a medium shade of pink.

Asuna got to her feet hand pulled Kirito up with her, guiding him over to Klien. Said redhead was dancing around as he looked at his cor total.

"I'm rich!" He yelled happily as the two approached.

Kirito flinched and covered his ears again, a throbbing ache filling his head. Asuna slapped Klien on the arm and told him to hush.

"Sorry." Klien muttered as he rubbed his sore arm.

"Can you contact us if you guys find the next boss room?" Asuna questioned.

Klien nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Thanks." Asuna said gratefully as she pulled Kirito outside. As soon as they were outside Asuna warped them back to their condo.

Asuna helped Kirito lay down on the couch and gathered the materials to care for his wounds.

"Alright. Let's get you cleaned up."

 **Just so everyone knows, the reason why Kirito's ears bleed is because I can't really follow the plot I want with the way they get hurt in the real game. I'm sorry if it takes away from the story, but I had to.**


	3. Recovery

_**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**_

 **Sorry it took so long, but here's the next chapter. I took some of your ideas and put them in this one, so I hope you like it!**

"Alright. Let's get you cleaned up."

Asuna knelt near Kirito's head and unwrapped the now dark red bandages around his ears. She threw them out then grabbed some peroxide and a rag. Once the rag was thoroughly soaked with the peroxide she began to wipe away the blood from the ears and the surrounding hair and fur. When she finished with his left ear Kirito immediately pinned it.

"Don't do that." Asuna gently scolded as she pulled his ear back up. She wiped the bit of blood smear he'd created before moving on to the other ear.

"It hurts." Kirito whined, his ear twitching as if to lower again.

"I know it does." Asuna soothed.

Now done with cleaning away all the blood, she inspected his ears. The bleeding was coming from his eardrums; no surprise there, since the wound was caused by a boss screaming like a banshee.

"Can you hear me?" The brunette asked as she covered his human ears.

Kirito answered, "Yeah, but you sounded muffled."

"Okay." Asuna said, moving on. She covered two cotton balls with the peroxide and placed them against his eardrums. "Now lower your ears." She instructed as she picked up some new bandages.

Kirito obeyed, flattening his ears to their full extent. Asuna tightly wrapped the bandages around his head.

She gently patted his head. "All done."

"Mm." The catboy replied, rolling over so he was facing the back of the couch. He curled up halfway, shaking slightly.

Asuna dragged a comforter from her bed to the couch and sat down in between Kirito's stomach and the couch. Getting the hint Kirito uncurled to allow her to lay down next to him. Asuna covered them up with the comforter and got comfortable next to her friend.

Kirito held his arms to his chest, hands tucked snugly under his chin. His tail swayed contently as it hung out from the edge of the blanket. "Night." He mumbled.

His partner laughed internally. It was still early in the morning. Nevertheless, she replied, "Goodnight Kirito."

Said boy nodded before drifting off. He was so cute when he was asleep. His face was completely at ease; almost the polar opposite of him when he was awake. Constantly trying to get back to the real world had him somewhat on edge at every given moment.

Asuna sighed contently and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Kirito's breathing. After a moment she realized something odd about it.

If she wasn't mistaken, he sounded like he was snoring.

But it was too smooth to be that. And too low. She knew some pretty loud snorers, and there was no way that what her friend was doing even counted as the same thing.

She scooted closer to him and put her ear as close to his chest as she could with his arms blocking his torso. It was then she realized he was purring.

It took everything she had to not burst out laughing; doing so would worsen the boy's condition. She patted his head, causing the purring to grow louder, his chest vibrating deeply in rhythm with the rumbling.

Asuna smiled. He was definitely way too cute for his own good.

"Have a nice nap."

~~~~Time Skip~~~~

Kirito stretched like a cat, curling his fingers into claws and yawning. Laying back down he instantly noticing the body beside him that was missing.

Asuna walked back into the room carrying some food. When she saw that her friend was awake she smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I tried not to wake you when I got up." She said as she placed two sandwiches on the table.

"It's alright." Kirito replied as he sat up to make room for his partner on the couch. She sat down next to him and tended to his ears while he ate the food she'd prepared. After she was done replacing the bandages and cotton balls she began to eat her own meal.

When she was done she brought the dishes into the kitchen and washed them. Kirito was laying down again when she came back in.

"Tired?" She questioned good naturedly as she stood in his line of vision.

"Yeah." Kirito replied with a laugh. "Just don't feel that well."

Asuna ruffled his hair. "Well, I hope you feel better."

She sat down in a chair near him and watched the tv. A few minutes after Kirito drifted off a loud knock sounded at the door.

The catboy on the couch stirred and groaned, "Who is it?"

"Don't know." Asuna replied as she got up to answer the door.

"Hi!" Silica greeted cheerfully. Pina, who was perched on her shoulder chirped in greeting as well.

"Hi Silica." Asuna said in return. "What brings you here?"

"Klien told me that Kirito was hurt." She explained. "Is he?"

"Yes."

"Can I see him?"

"Sure."

Asuna moved to the side to let the brunette in, closing the door as the pair moved to the living room.

"Who was it?" Kirito questioned from the couch as they walked in. When he saw Silica he said, "Oh, hi Silica."

"Hi Kirito." Silica yipped as she sat down on the arm of the couch near his feet. When she saw his head tightly wrapped she asked worriedly, "How'd you get hurt?"

"Screeching boss. Blew my eardrums." Kirito answered, tapping just above one bandaged ear.

"Oh." Silica said, subconsciously lowering her voice. Confused, she asked, "Then why are the bandages around your head and not your ears?"

"Ug, that's right. You don't know yet." Kirito sighed as he rolled onto his back to see her more clearly.

"Don't know what?" Silica questioned, tilting her head to the side in wonder.

Kirito explained, "I bought an upgrade from some kid and it turned me into a cat. Now I have cat senses, ears, and even a tail." The boy held up the end of his tail to support his statement.

Silica's eyes widened. "You're a cat?" She asked, her voice hinting at excitement.

"Yeah."

"That's so cool!" The brunette squeaked as she jumped in her seat. "Can I touch it?" She wondered hopefully, pointing at her friend's tail.

Kirito nodded. "Sure, just don't pull." He rolled onto his side again, laying his tail on his leg inside her range.

Silica reached over and gently picked up the furry object, marveling at the silky softness of it. It felt just like a real cat's. She stared transfixedly at it when the tip of it began to wag slowly. "Woah."

"Yeah." Kirito yawned, his tail's motion slowing to a light sway as he found his way back to dreamland.

Asuna, who had been being ignored, was fighting down the raging jealousy that sparked in her heart. Kirito never let her play with his tail! Well, she' d never asked, but still! She found it hard to refrain from shoving the younger girl out of the building.

As if sensing Asuna's foul mood, Silica stood and turned to her, saying "I have to go find my guild, they'll be expecting me back soon."

"Okay. It was nice having you over." Asuna gritted her teeth on the last part, the words not entirely true.

"Bye." Silica waved as she walked out the door.

"Goodbye." Asuna said to no one. She turned to her friend sleeping on the couch, watching the steady rise and fall of his torso as he breathed.

She moved to the couch, sitting in front of Kirito's legs. Careful to not wake him up, she stroked his tail gently, laughing when he began to purr like before.

"You're too funny."

 **K, so I can do one of two things (and you guys know me, I like letting readers choose.) :**

 **Continue with Kirito getting better, or**

 **Timeskip to when he's mostly healed and continue from there.**

 **The faster you guys review, the faster the next chapter comes out!**


	4. Back on Track

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Again, thanks to the people who reviewed with their preferences, I would have never thought of your ideas. Hope you like it! Sorry if the chaper's a little short. XD**

~~2 weeks later~~

Kirito and Asuna were hunting in a murky forest on floor 53, hoping for some leveling. They'd been away from all the action for the past few weeks while Kirito was healing and now that he was back in optimum health they wouldn't wait to get back on the front lines.

Even though Kirito was an exceptional fighter before, with his upgrade he was extraordinary. It was like he was invincible. Nothing could get by him without him hearing it and rushing to have it meet its end. He'd grown used to having his ears and tail in the open, adding to the growing whispers of him being a beater.

But he didn't care. He'd do anything just to beat sao and get back to the real world.

Kirito lashed out at a ax wielding zombie, destroying it in three hits. He sheathed his swords, turning to Asuna, who was walking towards him.

"Nice to see you awake again." She said playfully.

"I told you I was tired." Kirito whined, wishing she'd let him get over how much he'd slept during his recovery. The only times he remembered being awake were when he ate and when his friends came to visit.

About a day after Silica checked in on him Klien came back, leaving shortly afterwards when he realized he couldn't get a conversation out of the boy. Even Agil took a break from his store to say hi, asking all kinds of questions about Kirito's upgrade.

Asuna smirked. "I noticed."

"Like you didn't sleep a lot." Kirito retaliated as he remembered back to frequently finding Asuna napping next to him. On a rare occasion she would be awake, stroking his tail or playing with his ears when she changed the bandages.

"Oh shut up." The brunette growled, lightly punching her friend in the shoulder.

Kirito's face contorted in mock pain as he held his shoulder. "That hurt. Did you have to punch so hard?" He whimpered falsely.

"You want me to do it again?" Asuna threatened, her fist glowing blue.

The cat boy held his hands up in surrender. "I'm good."

"Then let's get going."

Asuna pulled out a teleport crystal, bringing herself and Kirito to their house where she'd prepare something to eat before they joined the assault team on the front lines.

~~Time Skip~~

"If we surround it once it's wounded, then we can close in for the kill!" A man explained, pointing to various places on a map of the next boss room.

"That's right, but remember, higher level bosses are unpredictable. We need a backup plan." Kirito said, leaning on the middle table.

The man turned to the raven-haired boy. "What do you suggest?" He wondered, putting Kirito on the spot.

"Well..."

"Is everyone ready!?" An uproar from the crowd of 200 players swelled in response. "Alright! Charge!"

And with that, the battle begun. The boss this time was a gigantic wolf spider, crawling along the roof of the room. No One could get to it up there, which normally wouldn't be a problem, (they would just wait for it to come down) but the boss shot globs of spider web at the players, one by one rendering them helpless.

Kirito looked to Asuna, who nodded in understanding, crouching down with her hands cupped in front of her. Kirito sprinted in her direction, stepping on her hands and getting a boost up to the boss. He clung to one of it's legs, holding on tightly as the spider attempted to throw him off.

Once given the chance Kirito pulled himself up and ran to the monster's belly, readying a sword skill. His elucidator glowed red as he droved it into the boss's midsection, causing an earsplitting scream.

Luckily, this time he was ready for it, lowering his ears against the sound. Asuna had trained with him to lower his sensitivity to loud noises without damaging his newfound ability. That had proven difficult in the beginning, considering his ears were still healing. Asuna found it humorous to watch him bug out when she yelled in his ear.

The shrieking over, Kirito continued to slice at the boss, dropping its first health bar to zero. The spider spit a bit of web at him, barely missing Kiritio's side as he moved to dodge it. Again and again web was shot at him, making him look as if he was dancing as he evaded them. He glanced up at the spider's face just in time to see one last glob coming straight at him. Kirito dropped, but not fast enough.

The spider web smacked into Kirito's lower stomach, glueing him to the spider's body and rendering im helpless. However, there was one good side to his position; the boss couldn't kill him. He tried to fight his way out the sticky substance, in all in vain. His entire body was stuck to the spider; he couldn't even move his head.

Suddenly, the spider fell from the ceiling, flipping over so Kirito was facing the floor. It landed with a loud thump, taking on several players rushing towards it. Kirito screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping someone noticed him before they accidentally hurt him.

Asuna lid underneath the beast, coming face to face with her friend. She smiled amusedly, looking like she was holding back a laugh.

"Don't laugh at me! Help me!" Kirito cried, yanking at the sticky fibers.

"Okay." Asuna laughed, reaching for the first of the webs near his shoulders. "Hold still."

The spider lunged forward, taking both teens by surprise. With his arms now free, Kirito grabbed Asuna under the arms and took her with him, letting go when the boss landed. Asuna continued to untie him as fast as she could, purposely shying away from his lower half.

When Asuna finished with his upper half Kirito said, "Go help the others. I can get it from here."

She nodded, rushing off to join the fight. Kirito pulled out his swords, attacking the boss from where he was. Because of his position he could attack but stay completely safe.

After several minutes he got extremely dizzy, the blood rushing to his head from him hanging upside down. He sheathed his swords and began unwinding the spider webs, managing to get everything but his lower legs free before the boss climbed back up to the ceiling.

Kirito, now upright, finished pulling off the last of the webs and got to his feet to rush the spider's head. Once in range the spider batted at him with it's two front legs, each blow being easily dodged by the cat boy. Kirito jump attacked the spider's front limbs, sliced off both of the thin legs. He landed on the beast's face, causing it to detach from the ceiling and fall to the ground.

Just like they'd planned, everyone surrounded the boss for the kill. Kirito stumbled off the spider, his job done for now. They all took turns attacking it, slowly depleting it's health bar until it reached zero and the beast dissolved into millions of data fragments.

 **Alright, so i'm gonna end here and pick up in the next chapter. Honestly, i'm running out of plot! Everyone who reads, what do you want to see happen to neko Kirito? Don't be shy! Reviews with ideas will cause more chapters, and faster!**


	5. Revenge

_**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**_

 **Thanks for all the ideas everyone! I used some of them, but not all. Enjoy!**

Kirito stood up and dusted himself off. Klein jogged over to him and gave him a high five. "Great job man!"

"Thanks Klein." Kirito said with a smile.

"Boss fights are getting old. When can we finally quit?" Asuna whined playfully as she walked over to the two boys, slouching tiredly.

"We only have, about 45 left; not including special dungeons and holiday events." Kirito answered, counting off on his fingers.

Asuna punched him in the shoulder. "I was joking." She growled as she got a tick mark.

Her friend laughed and held his shoulder. "I know. But it's fun irritating you."

"I don't exactly appreciate it." Asuna said hotly, crossing her arms.

"Well I do." Kirito smiled. He'd get it later for this, but it was too much fun. Klein began laughing as well, adding to Asuna's anger.

"It's okay. I can always get you later Kirito. I know where you sleep." She threatened. Kirito shut up immediately, knowing she wasn't joking. With a flip of her hair the irritated brunette turned her back on the two and walked towards the captain of the attack to get her share of the rewards.

"You're dead man." Klein chuckled as he watched his friend's partner storm away.

"Don't rub it in!" Kirito warned, his ears lowering in anticipation for what was to come.

Klein laughed and patted Kirito on the back. "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks." The catboy replied, his ears drooping even lower.

"See ya later." Klein said as he started to run towards his party members.

"See you later." Kirito said back gloomily, offering his friend a half-hearted wave. Klein returned the gesture with a mutual one before turning his attention to his other friends.

Kirito sighed. He stood where he was for a moment, allowing himself to be fearful for his life, then finally forced himself to get over it enough to get his reward as well. The boy met Asuna afterwards, who had thankfully calmed down; at least he thought.

The two teleported to their home where Asua made a quick meal (sandwiches). It was getting late, so they decided to get to bed and wake up early to do some leveling the next morning. Once they said their goodnights the two drifted off to dreamland.

~~~Time Skip~~~

Asuna snuck out of bed, trying not to wake up her prey. She dressed quietly and set up everything to prepare for her plan.

About ten minutes later Asuna sat on Kirito's stomach and woke him up. Kirito stretched, finding that his limbs didn't have the range to do so. Looking around himself, he noticed that he was tied to the bed he had been sleeping on. But why?

"What's going on?" Kirito demanded, fear creeping into his voice.

"This is my revenge." Asuna smirked. She forced down a laugh as she saw the catboy's ears pull back in terror. She repositioned herself on top of his hips instead of his stomach, letting her hands rest where she previously was.

Kirito blushed hard from the action and looked away, imagining the possibilities of what revenge she had in mind. He braced himself, expecting the worst.

"Tickle fight!" Asuna cried.

 _What?_

Before the boy's mind could comprehend what she'd said he burst out laughing as Asuna ran her fingers over his stomach and sides. He tried to protect himself, unable to because of his restraints. Kirito continuously tried to yanked his arms and legs free, desperately attempting to stop his partner. Memories from similar moments with Sugu came back to him; he'd always been ticklish, practically losing to his cousin the second she got him pinned to the ground.

"S-stop!" Kirito cried through his growing laughter.

"Nope!" Asuna yelled back, refusing to let him go that easily. "This is what you get for irritating me!" She left his stomach alone and went for the back of Kirito's neck. As soon as she touched the sensitive skin he gasped, snapped his head back and froze; no sound, no nothing.

His response both amused and worried the brunette, unsure what to make of the situation. She let go experimentally, and the boy came back to life, panting heavily.

"Please stop." He whimpered, severely regretting the actions that caused his predicament.

Asuna laughed out loud. "What was that!?"

"What was what?" Kirito asked, one ear turning to the side in confusion.

"You-you froze when I tickled your neck!" She replied, gasping for air.

The raven-haired boy blushed. "That's my weak spot." He admitted, unable to look at his friend.

Asuna couldn't say anything more, too overcome by her laughter to continue. It took her a few moments to calm down; Kirito hoping that she'd let him go. The girl smiled at him.

"Am I off the hook?" The catboy questioned, subconsciously cringing into the mattress.

"I don't know." Asuna said, poking Kirito in the side. He squeaked and yanked at his restraints, turning on the side she'd just poked. "Are you going to not purposely irritate anymore?"

"No." Kirito whispered under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Asuna had heard him.

Once again she mercilessly attacked his sides for several minutes, ignoring the boy's desperate pleas. He was laughing hard; choking for air, feeling like he was going to suffocate.

"Stop!" Kirito cried. "I-I'm gonna pee!" He yelled, hoping the excuse would get her to stop.

"You can't do that in SAO!" Asuna yelled back, seeing right through the lie.

"STOP!" The catboy screeched, using up the last of his air.

"Are you gonna stop irritating me!?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure!?" Asuna questioned, stopping her torture temporarily.

Kirito nodded furtively.

"Are you lying?" Asuna questioned, hovering a threatening hand over his stomach.

"No!"

The brunette frowned and gave him a analyzing glance. Just when Kirito thought she'd tickle him again she got off him and undid all the restraints.

"You're good to go." She said begrudgingly.

Kirito got off the bed and sat in one of the chairs in the living room. Still expecting her to attack him again, the boy jumped at her every movement. When Asuna had gone to cook breakfast Kirito relaxed slightly, watching the tv while he waited.

"Here you go."

Kirito jumped out of his skin, ears pinned and tail puffed to the maximum, practically knocking the chair over backwards in his fear. He glanced up at his confused partner, who was holding out a plate of pancakes to him. The cat boy carefully accepted the food, watching Asuna as she went to grab her own plate.

Satisfied he was safe, Kirito ate his breakfast. Just as he finished there was a knock at the door. He got up to see who it was, greeting the person behind it.

"Hello Lizabeth." Kirito greeted, drawing out the girl's name.

"Would you stop doing that!?" Lizabeth whined as she stepped inside.

Asuna immediately greeted her with a hug. "Hi Liz!"

"Hey Asuna!" The pinkette replied happily, returning the hug.

"So what brings you here?" Asuna asked her blacksmith as she pulled away.

She answered, "Both of you haven't been to the shop in awhile. I wanted to check up on your equipment."

"Ah." Asuna quickly looked through her inventory and pulled out her sword and armor. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Liz said, turning around to get Kirito's two swords. She put them in her own inventory and smiled. "I'll have them back in top shape before tomorrow."

"Alright." Kirito said. He sat on the couch, leaving room for the girls on either side of himself. Lizabeth sat on his left, looking over the boy. He looked different...but she couldn't figure out exactly how.

Asuna noticed her friend's searching eyes and figured she hadn't noticed his ears yet. Deciding to help her, Asuna stood behind Kirito and rubbed his cat ears. The boy purred and leaned into the touch, drawing Liz's attention to his cat features.

"Awww, you're a cat!" Liz squealed, petting his ears along with Asuna.

Kirito's ears lowered from her sudden outburst, but fluttered back up from the petting. His purring grew louder and his tail wagged happily behind him. Liz's attention moved from his ears to the swaying tail, watching with amazement.

Asuna was annoyed, just like when Silica had come over, but the feeling was more subdued since she was playing with his kitty ears too. She loved the softness of his onyx fur. One thing she noticed was how big his ears really were. They were ever so slightly too big for his head, resembling those of a kitten who had almost reached adulthood.

Suddenly both girls noticed that the catboy had fallen asleep, his purrs slowly dying down to a deep rumble. Asuna laid him down on the couch and led Liz to the door.

"He's adorable." Lizabeth whispered.

"Yeah." Asuna replied, getting a tick mark. "He is."

Liz placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Have fun." And with that, she left.

 **Alright, a few things. The whole tickle fight I based off of things i've seen my friends do, and all of them I thought would be cute and funny to see Kirito do. Also, we all know how much Kirito likes to purposely irritate Asuna, there was no way he's giving up in one try. I might end it here, because I could really continue with this forever and need it to end at some point. Any last ideas I need now or this is the end. Im marking it as complete but that doesn't mean it's final. Keep the reviews rolling and it will continue. Until then, i'm working on a new sao story that im sure everyone will love. When it's done i'll put the link in this story. Bye!**

 **P.S, I am continuing with a kitty Asuna, but more reviews still mean more chapters!**

 **PPS: My profile picture from now on willbe Kirito as he is in this story, so check back to see!**


	6. Asuna's Turn

_**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**_

 **Hope you guys like this, and i'm sorry if the way I turn Asuna into a neko sucks, but I have really no clue how to do it. You guys can give me suggestions and i'll fix it. Anyways, enjoy!**

After Lizabeth left Asuna sat down on the arm of the couch and watched her sleeping partner with a small smile. She ran a hand through his hair, causing the boy to let out a loud purr. Her smile grew wider.

Asuna's attention was grabbed by a screen that appeared in front of her. It read,

 _"We found the next boss room. An attack will be attempted at noon tomorrow._

 _~Heathcliff"_

Getting ready for the next day, Asuna sifted through her inventory and pulled everything she wanted to the top of the list. As she reached the bottom something odd caught her eye. There was an item named 'Cat's Eye Crystal', but she never remembered getting it. Clicking info told her that in increased speed by 20%. She shrugged and equipped it.

The brunette then climbed into her bed, almost instantly drifting off to dreamland.

The next morning when Asuna woke up, the first thing she noticed was Kirito sitting on the bed opposite her-in full battle gear-with a severely confused expression.

"What's wrong?" She wondered with a yawn as she sat up as well.

Wordlessly Kirito pointed to a spot next to her on the bed. Asuna followed the trajectory, finding a light brown cat tail laying there.

"Ahh!" Asuna screamed as she stood up, finding to her horror that the tail followed her. "This isn't happening." She said to herself as she rushed to the nearest mirror. The reflection in the mirror horrified her even more. Like Kirito, she had cat ears, though hers were light brown and tan instead of black and silver.

Kirito stood behind her, observing the girl in the mirror. "Now we match." He said with a playful tone.

"But how!?" Asuna demanded. "I didn't have an upgrade. I just..." She dwindled, remembering the crystal from the night before.

"You just what?"

Asuna turned to face him. "I just equipped a cat's eye crystal last night before I went to bed."

"Well that explains it." Kirito said.

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean I want to be a cat!" Asuna yelled, scrolling through her inventory for the crystal. "And it's gone! The crystal's gone!"

When she got no response she looked up at Kirito, whose ears were pulled back and he looked like he was going to cry. "You don't like the fact that i'm a cat?" He sniffed.

"I never said that." Asuna soothed. "Why would you think that?"

"If you don't like being a cat then me being one is practically the same idea." Kirito explained, fighting back tears.

She shook her head. "No, it's no. I think you're adorable as a cat."

"You think so?"

Asuna smiled. "Yes. I do."

In a split second Kirito's mood switched from sad to happy, and noone would have ever known about his episode from just seconds before. "Okay. Let's get ready for the boss battle." He said.

His partner equipped her armor and sword. "Let's go."

The boss this time around was a griffon. It's fur was as black as night and it's feathers matched the color of the blue flames that lit the room. When the assault team filed inside the boss was nowhere to be seen. A few more daring soldiers explored the space, finding no traces of the boss.

Suddenly, several of the soldier screamed out in pain and fell to the floor, exploding into millions of data fragments. Everyone in the remaining group gasped or cried out, searching for the reason of their demise. Most of the assault team was clueless; but not the to cats.

Thanks to their cat-like senses, they could hear the monster lurking in the shadows. "It's camouflaged." Kirito said, his ears flicking in seemingly random directions.

"What do you mean?" One of the other soldiers asked.

"The manual said the monster was black and blue. The walls of the room are black and the fire blue. It's blending into its surroundings." The raven-haired boy explained.

Another soldier spoke up as well. "Then how do we attack it!?"

"Maybe you guys can't. But we can." Asuna growled. "Ready Kirito?" She questioned, turning around to look at her partner, hand on her sword.

"Ready as ever." He replied, readying both of his blades.

Without any warning, both of them ran inside. They stopped in the middle of the room, ears swiveling and tails whipping around. There was a loud roar, and immediately the two rocketed at one of the blue flames. Asuna took the first lick, her blade leaving a long laceration on what seemed to be the wall.

Another ear shattering screech was heard, and the griffon jumped out of the wall. It swiped at Kirito and Asuna, both jumping easily out of the way. Asuna lunged and sliced off one of it's wings, prohibiting it from flying to the top of the chamber.

"Switch!" She called, running away from the boss.

"You got it!" Kirito yelled, both of his swords glowing red.

The boss bit at him, but missed as Kirito backflipped over it's jaws. As he righted himself again he embedded his weapons into the monster's eyes when he landed. It screamed out in pain, trying to shake it's attacker off. Kirito held on and pulled out his swords, lashing out at the griffon until it's first two health bars depleted.

The rest of the assault team rushed in as well, split into several group that surrounded the boss. Asuna and Kirito-trapped in with the boss because of all the soldiers-ran around, attacking the boss while moving out of the way of it's blind movements.

Soon the last of the griffon's hp disappeared, and the boss was defeated.

 **K, done for now. Yay! Kitty Asuna! You guys got your wish. Still, I really have no more plot, so reviews with ideas will keep this thing going. Until next time!**


End file.
